Do things the Spanish way: rap music

People love lists, that’s a fact. So much even that they asked me to give them more stuff to work with, more native materials. What?! Me?! Appearently, people like what I digg, and that’s good. Because I love the real deal, the real McCoy, only real Spanish materials. In fact, I love Spanish stuff so much that I decided to share some of my favorite music with you. First episode: rap music.

Simply put, I love hip-hip and rap, it’s what I listen to about 6 to 7 hours a day (no, I’m not kidding). I do listen some other music, but Spanish rap and hip-hop just made me into a more Spanish person (in the sense of that I can cope better with fast-pace Spanish and have a better overall comprehension). That’s why I compiled a list of my favorite cd’s of my favorite artists. Because I’m a capitalist at times I added the Amazon link right away (don’t worry; all earnings will go back to this blog for its improvement).

Enjoy the list and the music (*do* listen to the samples)!

*Note: This is Castillian hip-hop, so from Spain. Expect lots of distinción and Castillian words.

7 Notas 7 Colores – Hecho, Es Simple
One of the first – if not the first – albums I could get my hands on. Spanish music was totally new to me and I wanted to listen hip-hop. Laid back, not to hard but still with some decent rapping, hip-hop. It was what I was looking for for weeks. Pure gold for the hip-hop lovin’ beginner!

Last.fm page

La Excepción – Aguantando el Tiron
If you live in Spain, you probably know these guys. Like Frank T (look further down) they’re from Madrid and tend to put quite some jerga madrileña in their songs. They don’t take themselves all too serious, which is quite refreshing (especially if you’re used to American rap). Still, they do have lyrics to make people aware of things.

Last.fm page

Cres – Reflexiones
I love this guy. No, I really do. Clear lyrics, real slang, some English now and then (normally I don’t like English because of the immersion, but he makes things a lot clearer with it). Comes from Alicante (must be good then, yeah!) and lived/studied some years in the U.S., therefore not only rapping about Spanish things but has a more international view. Cres released another cd in 2005 (this one is from 2007) called La Reconkista but it contains quite some English.

SFDK – Siempre Fuertes
Hip-hop group from Sevilla. They’ve been active quite some years and make pretty good rap. The only downside (if you want to call it a downside) is that they use quite some slang, are seseo and pronounce the jota as an h. For the rest they work together with quite some other rap artists from Sevilla and the rest of Andalucía, so if you’re after real Andalucian Spanish these are the guys to go with.

SFDK – Los Veteranos
Another album of SFDK (one of the many). A bit other style than the earlier one (Siempre Fuertes) and perfect stuff if you want to relax and don’t want to think too much.

Last.fm page

Frank T – Los Pájaros No Pueden Vivir en el Agua
Originally from Congo, Frank T could be called one of fathers of Castillian hip-hop. I just got this album as I normally get new albums first of artists I just know. Before I’ve been listening to his other albums for some weeks, which is great as well. On this album he tries to make people aware of the troubles in Africa and how most people in America and Europe tend to close their eyes for this. The main reason why Frank T is one of my favorate rappers is because he has just such a clear voice. Even beginners of Spanish will understand his lyrics pretty soon. Also, where lots of rappers nowadays usually rap about the less important things in life, Frank T didn’t forget where he’s from and with what problems others struggle.

If you want to go for rap madrileño, go for Frank T!

Last.fm page

That’s the first part, more to come.

P.S. Any additions are always welcome. And if you don’t like rap and want your favorite genre getting some attention; send in suggestions.

Tagged as: hip-hop, spanish rap